Mertesacker wary of 'untouchable' Bayern

Per Mertesacker has branded Bayern Munich "untouchable" ahead of their Champions League last 16 clash at Arsenal on Wednesday.

Bayern have only lost two games since their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Arsene Wenger's side at the Allianz Arena last year at the same stage, including a December home defeat to Manchester City during the competition's group games.

Mertesacker believes Arsenal's victory in Germany will give them plenty of confidence ahead of Wednesday's tie, but insisted Bayern boast a better side than the one which claimed a 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium last year.

"Bayern are untouchable at the moment, both in the Bundesliga and in Europe," Mertesacker told Sport1.de. "The only thing that makes me positive is that we beat them in Munich last year. That allows us to go into the game with a certain degree of faith. We're going to give it our best.

"They're a little bit better in every department under Pep Guardiola. They've set a new benchmark.

"We're going to have to get a different result this time because the 3-1 defeat practically decided the tie last year. That was the decisive game."